Curricular mapping: process and product.

Curricular maps can be used to link ability-based outcomes (ABOs) and content to courses in PharmD curricula as one component of an overall assessment plan. Curricular maps can also be used to meet some of the requirements delineated by Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, Standards 2007. Five steps can be followed to help ensure the successful production of a curricular map that both meets accreditation requirements and helps to inform curricular improvements.

Writing PharmD program-level, ability-based outcomes: key elements for success.

A set of PharmD program curricular outcomes form the foundation of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum and are critical to the development of both the structure/courses of the curriculum and the assessment plan for the program. A goal for developing these outcomes is to craft a set of clear, concise, assessable statements that accurately reflect competencies of the generalist entry-level pharmacist or graduate of the first-professional doctor of pharmacy degree. This article will provide a review of one specific type of outcome, ability-based outcomes, and present a case study of how one college revised their PharmD program-level outcomes.

Characterization of supersaturated lidocaine/polyacrylate pressure sensitive adhesive systems: thermal analysis and FT-IR.

Supersaturated and crystallized lidocaine (LC)/pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) systems have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and FT-IR with the objective of characterizing the thermodynamic states and compatibility of the two-component systems. Analysis of the phase behavior of LC/DT2287 systems indicates that LC and DT2287 are thermodynamically miscible within the composition range containing less than approximately 20% w/w LC, beyond which LC may crystallize from the blends forming a separated crystalline phase. The composition dependence of the glass transition temperature (T(g)) was used to characterize the physical and thermodynamic states of the supersaturated systems.

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of lidocaine in supersaturated lidocaine/polyacrylate pressure sensitive adhesive systems.

Isothermal crystallization of lidocaine (LC) in supersaturated LC/Duro-Tak 87-2287 (DT2287) polyacrylate pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) systems has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that crystallization of LC in supersaturated LC/DT2287 systems was governed by the nucleation process, which in turn was dependent on temperature and composition of the systems. A critical temperature T(crit) was found at approximately 26 degrees C, above which the crystallization of LC in LC/DT2287 systems becomes slow.